Name: Brian Flander
Alias: dkt
Clan: Gravitas Gaming
Brian, tell us a little bit about yourself. What's an average day in the life of DKT outside of gaming?

I have a full time job working for an IT solutions company. I'm a home owner, I'm married, I have a dog and a cat. I'm a pretty busy guy. I usually wake up, go to work, come home, eat with the wife, take the dog on a walk or go to the dog park, and if it's a calm night, I'll have the chance to game a little bit.

You were the GM of the CGS team Chicago Chimera; though not actively playing in the league, what did you learn from this position?

It taught me a lot about appreciating raw talent. Most great gamers can convert to different games, guys like ch0mpr, stermy, and anomoly proved that to me. It also gave me a new perspective on my own game. I found myself preaching a lot of stuff that made sense, but I wasn't applying it to my own games in Quake. It also tought me a lot about the industry, behind closed doors.

From you're time within the CGS, you were able to get a better look inside professional gaming than anyone else. What do you think about the state of professional gaming right now? Will it ever recover?

I feel it will recover. It has always been a constant cycle like this. Tournaments and leagues get popular, then they die off. Obviously, nobody is paying attention because you'd think maybe someone would take some notes and learn from past mistakes....As long as there is multiplayer games, PC and Console, there will be tournaments, especially with developers like id software and Blizzard being involved.

How are you enjoying QuakeLive? What would you change?

I love QuakeLive, such a great game. I could sit here and rant about the netcode, but I won't, because id is aware and they are working on it. I'd add some new maps like T7. I think t7 is a great map. CA2... not very good for duel.

How do you like playing 10 minute duels instead of 15? Helps/hurts you?

I've sort of wavered on my point of view on this. Since QL started it has been 10 minutes on public servers. Last year at QuakeCon the two games I lost (zero4,griffin) I had the lead at the 10 minute mark. To me there is a subconscious element, you could argue there isn't a difference, but I think there is. I'd prefer 15 minutes, but 10 is ok as long as I'm able to practice with whatever time they designate. I think 15 minutes would allow for some better matches, the first frag is so key now.


You are now sponsored by Gravitas Gaming, a relatively new team that's well-known for their Counter Strike team. What has your experience been with them so far? Are you interested in starting a CTF or TDM team there?

Gravitas is amazing. I've known these guys for a super long time, since the Painkiller days. I approached them a while back about possibly helping them as a manager, I had remained active in QuakeLive, and with my real life stuff keeping me so busy I had no time to manage, so we decided I could just play QL for them.I don't have time for team games, so I'm not interested. I'll be playing with a pick up team for fun at QCON though.

Quake 3 or QuakeLive?

QuakeLive

Who do you think will take top 3 in the Duel tourney at QuakeCon?

I can't speak for any euros. I've seen the ESL casts and other demos, but it really is hard to tell. I think it's safe to say fox has a chance at top 3. From the NA side of things, I feel like rapha is unstoppable. Rapha will win QuakeCon, unless I beat him ;P

What player do you think you match up well against to make for an interesting duel?

Shrug, I don't know. I'd love to play europeans. I don't necessarily care about the outcome of the match, I mean I want to win, but I think it would be fun to play as many Europeans as possible.

What do you miss about gaming that you don't see in the community anymore?

The only thing I really miss is the days when there was a new tournament almost every month. From like 2003 to 2006 there was a ton of events.

Whats your most memorable moment in gaming?

That's tough man. I'm a pro gaming dinosaur....I've seen a ton of amazing stuff, that's for sure.

Any shoutouts?

Just wanted to thank cbnz/tempus/rich at Gravitas Gaming. I also want to thank my practice partners, chance/dahang/rapha/sparks/vamp1re.

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